All activities / Sailing / Carlisle Bay
Sailing in Carlisle Bay
Carlisle Bay is a sheltered, horseshoe-shaped bay on the south-west coast just below Bridgetown, ringed by white-sand beach and protected as a marine park. Its calm, shallow water holds a cluster of shipwrecks and reefs a short swim or boat ride from shore, and green and hawksbill turtles feed on the seagrass, making it the island's hub for diving, snorkelling and catamaran cruises.
Why here
A catamaran cruise along the calm Caribbean coast is the classic Barbados day on the water, and most sail out of Bridgetown to anchor over the turtles and wrecks of Carlisle Bay. The sheltered south-west and west coast has flat, clear water and steady trade winds, so the big sailing cats run gentle three-stop cruises: one stop to swim with green and hawksbill turtles on the seagrass, one to snorkel the shipwrecks in the bay, and a reef or beach stop with lunch and drinks aboard. It is sailing as a relaxed cruise rather than a hands-on lesson, though the crews will let you take the helm and trim a sail on the downwind legs. For serious sailors, Barbados is also a bluewater landfall, the first island many transatlantic crews reach, and the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race Series each January circles the whole island in one of the Caribbean's classic offshore races.
Best months
The lee of the west and south-west coast stays calm and protected year round, with the steadiest trade winds from December to June and warm water throughout. Cruises run daily and are suitable for complete beginners and families, with the sailing gentle and the emphasis on swimming, snorkelling and turtles. Sea conditions are flattest in the morning, and the January Mount Gay Round Barbados race series is the highlight for competitive sailors. Afternoon and sunset cruises can meet a fresher breeze on the exposed legs.
Getting there & around
The catamarans depart from The Shallow Draught and the Careenage in Bridgetown, close to the cruise terminal, and most cruises include hotel pickup and drop-off from the south and west coasts. Lunch cruises run around five hours with three swim stops, and there are shorter sunset cruises and private charters. Book ahead in the December-to-April high season and on cruise-ship days, bring a towel and sun protection, and expect an all-inclusive buffet and open bar on the larger boats.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Cool Runnings Catamaran Cruises
OutfitterCool Runnings Catamaran Cruises is a family-run Barbados operator sailing from Bridgetown on lunch, sunset and private charters along the west coast. The five-hour lunch cruise stops to swim with green sea turtles and to snorkel the shipwrecks of Carlisle Bay before anchoring off Sandy Lane for a buffet and drinks. Cruises are all-inclusive with a Bajan buffet, open bar, snorkel gear and hotel transfers, and the crew mixes easy sailing with the island's signature turtle-and-wreck snorkel stops.
Tiami Catamaran Cruises
OutfitterTiami Catamaran Cruises runs the largest catamaran fleet in Barbados, eight boats sailing daily from The Shallow Draught in Bridgetown with more than forty years on the water. Its five-star lunch cruise makes three stops to swim with turtles, snorkel a shoal of reef fish and explore the shipwrecks, with a lunch buffet, premium open bar, snorkel equipment and transfers included. The fleet also runs a three-and-a-half-hour sunset cruise and private charters along the sheltered Caribbean coast.